John b



J B. ROTZ. GLoTHBs BRIEF..

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 14, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. ROTZ, OF MORRISON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN A.MOORE, OF'SAME PLAGE.

CLOTH ETS-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,135, dated January14, 1896. Application filed .April 19, 1895. Serial No. 546,375. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN B. Rofrz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Morrison, in the county of Whiteside and State of Illinois,

have invented anew and useful Clothes-Drier,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of clothes-driers which comprise aseries of folding arms or stretchers disposed around a post 1o orupright, against which the said arms are adapted to fold, the latterforming supports for a series of lines or cords upon which the articlesto be dried are placed.

The vital feature of the improvement coni 5 sists in the novel meanswhereby power may be applied by pressure of the foot to cause anunfolding of the stretchers or arms and a tightening of the lines orcords supported thereby, and by means of which the said arms 2o may bepositively held in the required position.

A further purpose of the improvement is to devise a simple contrivancewhich will admit of the lengthening and shortening of the lines 2 5 orcords to tighten the same to suit the spread or relative adjustment ofthe arms or stretchers when the latter are unfolded to the requiredposition.

Other objects and advantages will become 3o apparent from the followingdescription, reference being had to the attached drawings, in which-Figurel is a perspective view of a clothesdrier of the improvedconstruction, showing e 5 the arms unfolded and the device as it willappear when set up for use. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical view showing therelative disposition of the parts when the arms are folded, by the fulllines, and the relative location of the same when the arms are unfolded,bythe dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the casting wherebyattachment is had between the runner and the upper end of theoperating-rod. Fig. et is a detail view showing the means for attachingthe end portions of the lines or cords to a folding arm or stretcher,whereby the said lines or cords may be lengthened or shortened, asrequired. Fig. 5 is a detail view in section of the base and the 5olower end of the post or upright, showing the means whereby the saidpost is re volubly supported in the said base.

The post or upright l may have any desired form in cross-sectional area,either circular or angular, and is preferably formed with a 5 5 seriesof longitudinal faces or sides corresponding in number with the num berof arms or stretchers 2, so as to admit of the latter folding closearound the post. This post or upright is journaled at its lower end in abase 6o or foot piece 3, formed by crossing two blocks and providing avertical opening at the point of crossing to form a bearing for thejournal 5, pendent from the lower end of the post. This journal isflanged at its upper end, and 65 is bolted or otherwise firmly attachedto the lower end of the post and is mounted in the opening 4, beingsupported in the latter by a plate G, secured to the under side of thesaid base or foot and operating through a corre- 7o sponding plate 7,made fast to the top side of the foot.

The arms or stretchers 2 are hinged or connected by pivotal joints attheir lower ends to the sides of the post l a short distance above thebase 3, and are adapted to fold close against the sides of the said postwhen it is required to store the device. A runner 8 is connectedbybraces 9 with the arms or stretchers 2 at a point between the ends ofthe lat- 8o ter, and is adapted to operate upon a rod l0 risingvertically from the upper end of the post or upright l. This runner incross-section corresponds to a cross-sectional area of the post l toadmit of a close folding of the braces 9,which are hinged or pivoted attheir inner ends to the said runner and have similar connection at theirouter ends with the folding arms or stretchers.

An operating-rod ll is held to the post l 9o and guided in its movementsby suitable keepers l2, and its upper end engages with the runner 8 tomove the latter when it is required to spread or unfold the arms. Thelower end of this rod is bent outward to form an engaging portion 13,and again to provide a handle let to be grasped by the hand to engagethe part 13 with a stop or pin 15 on one of the arms to hold thestructure in a folded condition, or enable the foot to be placed `roothereon when moving the rod downward to spread the arms and attain therequired tension on the supporting lines or cords 16. A notched plate 17is firmly attached to the lower end of the post l to be engaged by thepart 13 of the rod 11 when it is required to hold the latter in anadjusted position. A casting 18 has wings 19, by mean-s of which it issecured to the runner 8, and a portion of the upper end is cut away toadmit of a limited movement of the bent end 2O of the operating-rod 11when turning the latter to disengage its bent portion 13 from thenotches in the plate 17. This casting 18 has' a longitudinal borethrough which the upper end of the-rod 11 passes. A pin 21 passestransversely through the rod 11, immediately below the casting 18, toforma stop to cause an upward movement of the runner 8 when the said rod11 is moved upward for the purpose of folding the arms or stretchers 2.The shoulder 22,. formed -by cutting away a.v portion of the upper endof the casting 18,. engages with the bent end 2O of the rod 11 andlimits the movement of the latter when disengaging the bent portion 13from the notched. plate 17.

The lines or cords 164 are passed loosely through eyes 23 disposed atproper intervals in the length of the arms or stretchers 2 along theirouter edges or faces, and are secured at one end from slipping throughthe eyesl by knotting the said ends, the opposite end portions beingengaged with spring-hooks 2.4, which are attached to the side of the armor stretcher, bearing the eyes with which the knotted ends of the saidlines orcords engage.

'These hooks 24 project outward across the path of the lines or cords,so that when the free end portions of the latter are pressed between thespring members of the hooks said endsV will be retained in place by thelines or cords, extending across the open sides oi the said hooks andconfining the free end portions thereof between the closed ends of thehooks and that portion of the cord or line eX- tending thereover. Thisis shown most clearly in Fig. 4.

When it is required to spread the arms or stretchers to set theIstructure up for use, the lower end of the operating-rod 11 is pressedthe said arms are sufficiently unfolded the rod is turned to engage itsend portion 13 with the proper notch in the plate 17, thereby fixing.the adjusted position of the drier.- In I the event of it becomingnecessary to spread the arms to the utmost limit of their outwardmovement and tighten the cords or lines, it will be necessary to pressupon the lower end of the rod by means of the foot, thereby getting theadvantage of the combined weight. and strength of the person erectingthe structure. When the device is no t required for use it is folded bymoving the rod 11 upward, and is held in closed relation by engaging thebent portion 13 with the stop 15.

From the foregoing it is obvious that changes in the form, proportion,and the minor details of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages ofthis invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In aclothes drier, the combination of a vertical post, folding armssupporting the cords, orlines, a runner operatively connected with thesai-d. arms, a casting secured to the runner, an operating rod held inthe said casting from vertical displacement and adapted to turn therein,the lower end of the said rod being bent laterally, and a notched plateattached to the post and adapted to be engaged by the bent end of therod to hold the parts in the required located position, substantially asset forth.

2. The herein shown and described clothes drier, comprisingv a foot, orbase7 a post having a journal at its lower end mounted in the base, arod projected vertically from the top end of the post, folding armssupported by the post, a runner mounted on the vertical rod andconnected by braces with the folding arms, a casting attached to the.runner and I having a portion cut away to provide a shoulder, anoperating rod held to the post and having its upper end portion passingthrough y the said casting and bent to engage with the `said shoulderand limit the turning move- 'gment of the rod in one direction, thelower end of the said rod being bent to form an en- 1 gaging and ahandleportion, a notched plate 1 to receive the engaging portion of the rod, astop on one of the folding arms to hold the f structure in closedrelation, and lines, or f cords, supported by the folding arms andadapted to be lengthened and shortened, substantially as described forthe purpose set 2 forth.

upon either by the hand or foot, and when In testimony that l claim theforegoing as my own l have hereto affixed my signature in the presenceof two witnesses.

JOHN B. ROTZ. Witnesses GEORGE W. PLATT, EDWIN NV. PAYNE.

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